Editor’s Note: This blog post is a part of a new ongoing series of posts dedicated to K-12 education policy in Mississippi. *** By Grace Breazeale I K-12 Policy Associate Teacher compensation has rightfully taken center stage in the effort to address the teacher shortage crisis in Mississippi. Still, there remains a host of additional challenges…
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Editor’s Note: This post is one in an ongoing series of posts dedicated to early education policy in Mississippi. *** By Micayla Tatum I Director of Early Childhood Policy The educator pipeline crisis, which Mississippi First has researched extensively, also affects childcare centers, Head Start, and public school pre-K programs. In short, finding early childhood teachers is as…
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Today, Mississippi First released our newest report, Eyeing the Exit: Teacher Turnover and What We Can Do About It. This report takes a deeper dive into data first reported in our February 2022 report Voices of the Shortage: 2022 Mississippi Teacher Survey, which revealed that over half of teachers surveyed reported being “somewhat” or “very…
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By Toren Ballard I Director of K-12 Policy This fall, Mississippians received two widely divergent narratives about the state of public education post-COVID: On September 29, the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) released school and district accountability grades for the 2021-2022 school year, showing unprecedented improvement: 87% of districts were rated “C” or higher, up…
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Editor’s Note: This post is the first in an ongoing series of posts dedicated to early education policy in Mississippi. *** By Micayla Tatum I Director of Early Childhood Policy This past summer, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Mississippi First, and other partners convened early childhood providers and advocates with the goal of centering provider voices…
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Editor’s Note: This blog post is a part of a new ongoing series of posts dedicated to K-12 education policy in Mississippi. *** By Grace Breazeale I K-12 Policy Associate As school districts take steps to recover from pandemic learning loss, they should not underestimate how rising rates of chronic absenteeism may hinder this progress. During…
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Committee Education Author Kent McCarty Session 2023 Session Latest Action On January 25, the House Education Committee passed HB 729. The bill is now awaiting a vote on the House Floor. Explanation of the Bill House Bill 729 would establish the STRIDE Scholarship Program, which would provide funding for high school students to complete dual-credit…
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Committee Education Author Kevin Felsher Session 2023 Session Latest Action On January 25, the House Education Committee passed HB 1161. The bill is now awaiting a vote on the House floor. Explanation of the Bill House Bill 1161 would establish and enter Mississippi into the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact (ITMC), an initiative to ease the…
Read MoreCommittee Education; Appropriations Author Kent McCarty Session 2023 Session Latest Action The House Appropriations Committee failed to take action on HB 731 by the January 31 deadline, causing this bill to die in committee. Explanation of the Bill House Bill 731 would provide a $4,000 annual salary supplement to National Board Certified Teachers in any…
Read MoreCommittee Judiciary (A) Author Daryl Porter Session 2023 Session Latest Action On January 26, the House Judiciary (A) Committee voted to pass HB 64. The bill is now awaiting a vote on the House floor, which will likely take place in the coming weeks. Explanation of the Bill HB 64 would require that childcare facilities…
Read MoreCommittee Education Author Brice Wiggins Session 2023 Session Explanation of the Bill SB 2601 would extend the duties and responsibilities of the State Early Childhood Advisory Council (SECAC). It would also create additional members of the council who would be appointed by the Speaker of the House and the Lieutenant Governor. SB 2601 has been…
Read MoreCommittee Public Health and Welfare Author Rod Hickman and Nicole Boyd Session 2023 Session Explanation of the Bill On January 31, the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee voted to pass SB 2485. The bill is now awaiting a vote on the Senate floor, which will likely take place in the coming weeks. Explanation of…
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